strength for God and to lay forth his Estate for God And he saies as Christ said Loe I come Here 's an opportunity for service why then Loe I come to do thy Will O God the embracing I say and cherishing those motions of the Spirit of God which he is pleased to hint in the souls of his people is another part of their walking with him Again 6. Sixthly In the next place That soul walks with God when it sets it self in the eye of God when it eyes God continually and sets it self in the eye of God in the presence of God this is a main part of his walking with God when a man shall do all that he doth as in the presence of God every action that though it concerns man and his outward calling yet he desires to do all as in the presence of God And therefore he doth not only look to a duty but he looks to the manner of the performance of every duty because the holy pure and piercing eye of God is upon him he looks to the manner how it 's carried on and forth what spirit is in it because he knows that the eye of God is piercing it 's a flame of fire and he doth all as in the presence of God and unto God in his serving of man he doth it as unto the Lord he hath a higher end than the men in the world have who know no other end than to gain riches and honour or the like but there 's a further and higher end that he may lift up the name of God and serve God in serving of man that he may serve his Generation according to the Will of God I say when the soul is thus alwaies under the eye of God and therefore is faithful whether man see or no though there is no eye to witness no eye to over-look yet it knows that it 's in the presence of God for though he don't so see the transgression of his people as to cast them off yet he may see that which may be matter of sore displeasure and grief and therefore this is that which is as a bridle and a bit over all his waies that it is in the presence of God Again 7. Seventhly In the next place The soul walks with God when he is desirous to embrace every truth that God shall impart when it opens to truth this is another part of the souls internal walking with God when it opens to truth to every truth which the embracing and professing of may cost him dear being opposed in the world it matters not if you be perswaded it 's the truth of Christ it 's enough it trusts God for the rest oh it 's greedy after truth that soul that walks with God oh how fearful is it lest it should not embrace truth Oh how fearful is it lest it should be left behind when God advances his truth in the world and when truth is advanced Oh how fearful is it to be left behind Though it would not set a step until God goes before and it would not hear the voice of a stranger yet it would not be shut up from the voice of Christ therefore it 's fear is to be left behind and desires that God would take it along when he discovers truths unto a Saint even the truth of the age and the truth of the Generation in which he lives that 's another part of the souls walking with God Again 8. In the Eighth place The Soul walks with God when it can justifie the Word of God justifie the Word of God though the Word condemn him in his practices yet he will justifie the Word of God though the Word be high holy and spiritual and he sees he is a poor creature and can't come up to it yet he won't despise nor hate the Word but loves justifies and blesses God for it so the Apostle in Rom. 7. 12. Wherefore the Law is holy saies he and the Commandment is holy just and good Again in the 13 Verse Was then that which was good made death to me God forbid But sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the Commandment might become exceeding sinful And again in the 16 Verse If then I do that which I would not I consent unto the Law that it is good Though I do the things that I would not yet saies he I love the Law and delight in it in the inward man this is a main part of the spirits and souls walking with God when it can thus justifie and clear the Word and though the Word of the Lord cross him yet it gets to the Word of the Lord and though he can't come up to it yet it blesses the Word that 's holy and good though I be carnal though I be sold under sin it justifies the Word 9. Again In the Ninth place He will Justifie God that 's another part of his walking he will justifie God and clear God in all his proceedings though God go against his comforts and smite them as he did Job yet still he 'll walk and go along with God and clear and justifie God In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly the Lord gives and the Lord takes and blessed be his name Still he will justifie God though he can't see a reason of Gods proceedings yet still he will justifie God though he do him wrong yet God is holy righteous and merciful and this is another part of the souls internal walking with God Again 10. In the Tenth and last place to name no more The soul then walks with God When it is taken up with higher things than the things of this World It desires to look up to higher things than the things of the world and greater things than the world is able to present and therefore would not have the world for its portion at no rate he can't take up there no he hath higher things to fix his heart upon the worldlings spend their time and meditations upon their Silver and Gold upon their Houses and Land but a gracious heart will not spend many of his thoughts upon these it will not spend the best of his thoughts upon these but saies to his soul as Solomon's Mother said to him Prov. 31. 2. Oh my son give not thy strength to women c. and so saies he Oh my soul give not thy strength to the things of this world give not the strength of thy heart and affections to these poor low things thou hast better things to spend thy strength upon there 's God and Christ there 's a Kingdom there 's the Pearl of great price there 's an Inheritance there 's an Eternity there 's an everlasting enjoyment of God these things art thou to be taken up with these things doth he desire to spend the best of his strength and thoughts upon You see my Brethren in part what it is to walk with God this is the
which his soul hates and yet that Word of the Lord doth conquer him and change him into his own likeness and so God leads his people to glory through a low way of suffering and when he brings them to the full possession of it he carries them through the dark entry through the dark narrow strait entry of death and through that place he leads them to the enjoyment of that glory which comes in by death I have no time for Application But Brethren consider it death is gain to those whose life Christ is but it is loss and the greatest loss that ever was met with unto those that have not Christ for their life I beseech you to look to your selves and to look about you before death comes when death comes you must venture such a venture as never was made you venture your souls and your Eternity and by that venture you are made or else you are marr'd to Eternity look about you examine Is death like to prove gain to you or no What assurance have you that death shall be gain I should press this further but the time is past already I shall reserve it for another time SERMON VII PHILIP 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain YOU may remember the Point that we are insisting upon DOCT. That where Christ is life there death is gain I have opened the Point and shewed you wherein death is gain to believers in several particulars But I shall proceed in answering some Objections before I come to the Use Object It may be may some carnal heart say with Nicodemus how can these things be how is it possible that death should be gain when it strips a man of all his comforts turns him out of possession of House and Land it is no longer his if death comes it deprives him of all his friends he is left friendless it turns him naked out of the World and how is it possible that that should be gain Answ I Answer If there be not something beyond the Grave if a man hath not an Inheritance laid up in Heaven I grant it that death is the greatest loss of all for it robs a man of all comforts at once therefore I say if a man hath not a share in the Land of Promise if he hath not a more endurable substance in Heaven I grant that death is a great loss therefore what I say concerning those who are gainers by death it concerns them only that have interest in Christ and to them it is not loss to be stript of all comforts for why It puts them into possession of their Inheritance and what though death doth strip them of a few outward comforts It 's no great loss or it 's not considerable If a great Heir be gone home to his own Country if he gets to his own door his own house and his purse be taken from him what are a few pence It 's no great wrong because he hath now taken possession of an Inheritance that will bring him in a yearly Revenue thousands it may be the loss of his few pence from his purse is no great matter 2. Secondly Besides Whatsoever is lost in death it is no great matter to a gracious heart because the World is Crucified to him and he to the World before-hand I say however the World may look upon death as a loss yet a gracious heart doth not because the World is dead to him before-hand and if it be dead if it be a dead Carkass it is no great loss to part with it and though a man loves his Friend never so dearly as Sarah she was the beloved of Abraham Abraham's beloved wife and yet when death came Give me a burying place saies he that I may bury my dead out of my sight it was no matter to be parted with when she was dead and so saies a gracious heart of all the things of the World they are dead The world is crucified to me saies the Apostle and I to the World and therefore no great loss to him to part with them because they are dead to him 3. Thirdly Besides A believing soul shall find all to be made up in God abundantly whatsoever seems to be a loss shall be made up in Heaven with the presence of God and Christ Is there a loss of house and Land The Lord will be the dwelling place of his people throughout all Generations dost thou lose the light of the Sun the Lamb is the light of that City thou shalt find all relations in God Husband Wife Brother Sister whatever relation is broken by death it shall be made up in God he shall be their friend instead of all and you shall find the comfort of all relations made up in Heaven in Gen. 17. 7. I will be a God to thee it comprehends all relations that is Friends Father Husband Wife House Land all creature comforts whatsoever I will be a God to thee they are to be found in God Therefore whatsoever I say seems to be lost by death shall be made up in the enjoyment of God himself and of his Son Jesus Christ so much in answer to that But Object 2. Some poor hearts that are taken with this truth and with the great gain of Heaven will try out O Lord why do I live in this miserable world and why is light given to him that is in misery and why is life given to the bitter in Spirit Job 3. 20. I have heard of the gain of death and I cannot be content any longer in this vale of misery to be kept from my gain I know not how to bear it any longer O that the Lord would make haste and let loose his hand upon me and cut off this thread of my life Answ Now good Christian let me say a little to thee do not make too much hast do not make more hast than thy Father would have thee I remember the Apostle in Ephes 4. 26. saies Be angry and sin not so say I to thee desire death but sin not in thy desire every desire of death is not a good and a warrantable desire there is a holy desire of death and there is a sinful desire of death and have a care thou sinnest not Quest But you will say then How far may a man desire death When are his desires holy and when are they sinful This is a Case of Conscience that is very obvious and obnoxious to most of Gods people at one time or other and therefore I shall spend some time in answer First I shall shew you when a mans desires of death are sinful And secondly When they are holy and good 1. First of all Desires of death are Sinful when a man shall act any thing against his own life I say when a creature shall act any thing against his own life when a man or woman shall do any thing that shall shorten their own daies or when they shall refuse the
sinfulness of it when a man desires to die only upon these grounds to be rid of trouble and affliction 1. First He doth charge God foolishly It is said of Job in the latter end of the first Chapter In all this he sinned not nor charged God foolishly But afterward Job did charge God when he came to consider the day of his birth he spake against his own life Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery and life given to the bitter in soul There Job did charge God foolishly as if God were not wise enough to measure out thy portion O thou wouldst die that thou maist be eased of such and such an affliction thou chargest God with want of faithfulness want of wisdom want of love see what Absalom said when he flattered with the people O that I were Judge saith he I would hear every mans Cause and it should not be so and so I would rule better than my Father David he charged his Government with folly I would do Justice better than he And truly so thou saiest O that I were in Gods place O that I sat upon the Throne I would dispose better of my own condition I would dispose of it with more wisdom and more love and more compassion What a high charge is this to lay upon God! O have a care thou dost not charge God thou saist wherefore is life given to thee in such an affliction thou chargest God foolishly Dost thou not know why God knows it may be that the life of Nature is continued that so he may increase the life of grace in thee or that he may kill the life of sin in thee or that he may give thee more of himself that thou maist have more experience of his love and goodness or that thou maist be a pattern to others a pattern of his patience of his power and goodness and therefore is life given thee 2. Secondly Nay further When thou speakest against thy own life and desirest to die thou dost limit the holy one of Israel and commit that sin which the Children of Israel did they tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel When thou saist O that God would take away thy life that thy affliction may may be taken away why cannot God take away thy affliction and not take away thy life hath God no other way He can make a hundred doors and find out a thousand waies must he needs open that door the strait door of death or else he cannot open a door of deliverance for thee why dost thou limit and tempt the holy one of Israel If thou desirest death because thou wouldst be delivered thy desire is sinful O desire rather that the Lord would be with thee in thy affliction and make thee a Conquerour over thy affliction that thou maist get above thy affliction to glorifie God in the fire That 's a Fourth But 5. Fifthly Thy desires of death are sinful When as thy desires are unlimited when they are not subjected to the Will of God when they are absolute when a man will have no denial whether God see it good or no whether the Lords time be come or no thou saist it is gain shall I not desire gain No thou maist not desire gain with an immoderate desire The Apostle James reproves those that say We will go and buy and sell and get gain no but saies he Stay and ask God leave If God will we will do so and so c. When you would go to the new Jerusalem for gain in that City say not We will go we will go no say If God will let me go God will have thee to finish thy course there are many that would go though the Lord hath no need of them these unlimited desires of death are unlawful desires Quest But you will say When are desires of death Lawful I shall desire to speak a few words to that briefly Answ First of all When a man doth not desire death for death but death for life There are many poor creatures are desirous to die but they know not wherefore but now a holy man hath holy desires his desires are not death for death but death for life for death is an enemy to desire death only to cease to be only to lie still in the Grave and cease to be the Apostle in 2 Cor. tells you wherefore he desired death he don't desire to be uncloathed But to be cloathed upon that mortality may be swallowed up in life not to be uncloathed to lay aside the body to be in the Grave and to cease from being but to be swallowed up in life to be cloathed upon to desire death for life seek for that life which we are sure shall come into us by death this is a lawful desire 2. Secondly Desires of death are lawful when a man desires to die that he may sin no more against God that corruption may be fully mortified that there may be nothing left in the soul to provoke the Lord any longer that may displease the eye of his glory that it may be holy in all things made like unto Christ even without sin a gracious heart saies and believes because the Lord hath spoken it that death shall be the death of sin as well as the death of the body sin brought death into the world and death shall carry sin quite away that at death it shall be abolished that there shall be no more sense of sin no sense of lust to desire death for this end that the creature may sin no more that God may be displeased no more and grieved no more this is a lawful desire 3. Thirdly When a man desires death that he may enjoy communion with Christ this is lawful to enjoy full communion with Christ that was the Apostles desire Phil. 1. 23. Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better wherefore doth he desire to be dissolved he tells you To be with Christ to see the face of Christ to enjoy the presence of Christ that he may be filled with the love of Christ and behold the glory of Christ and may be for ever in the presence of Christ and never look off his face but to enjoy full and perfect communion with Christ to desire death for these ends is lawful 4. Again Fourthly When a man desires death That he may lift up the name of God in Heaven that he may do the Will of God perfectly as it is done in Heaven by the Saints and Angels O here he cometh short in all the works and services he desires to do he cannot do the thousandth part of that which he desires to do and therefore desires death that he may lift up the name of God fully in Heaven that he may there be swallowed up in the present enjoyment of God and Christ that he may be infinitely enlarged to sing Hallelujahs unto God to all Eternity thus to desire death is lawful But 5. Fifthly
he I shall be no loser death is look'd upon as a loss therefore as Paul should have said For me to live is Christ or to die is Christ but he rather saies It is gain it is Christ that makes it gain to him or else it is a loss to me but Christ who is my life shall make death gain So take no thought of me saies he whatsoever befalls me I shall do well if I live or if I die And because you are more solicitous concerning my death saies he know that death is my gain if I lose my friends and my comforts if I lose life it self it shall be no loss it shall not undo me for I shall find all in Jesus Christ and so death shall be my gain DOCT. Christ is the Believers Life That 's the Proposition that lies before us For me to live is Christ or Christ is my Life it is all one Christ is the life of every believing soul By Life sometimes it is understood whatsoever is excellent whatsoever is excellent in its kind it is set forth by life because life is the most excellent thing in nature Skin for Skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life and therefore the Bread which Christ gives is called Living Bread Bread of Life and so Water of Life for the excellency of the spiritual things that the Lord gives out to his people and truly Christ is instead of all excellencies to a believing soul he is the life of all their comforts the comforts of the World are dead until such time as Christ shines in them there is no life until such time as Christ shines through them for riches are dead and honour is dead and friends are dead all comforts are dead till the life of Christ be in them But more particularly 1. First Christ is the Life of Righteousness to the believing soul every child of Adam is dead condemned and so he is dead in Law there is no life but by the righteousness of Christ that righteousness which Christ brought in by his blood He gave life by making satisfaction to Justice by paying the debt unto death therefore the Apostle saies that Righteousness reigns by Christ in Rom. 5. sin entered into the world by Adam speaking there at Verse 17. For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Righteousness raigns in a believing soul by Jesus Christ it hath the preheminence of all all is dross and dung in comparison of this righteousness of Jesus Christ it reigns gloriously in a believing soul it is Christ that procures this righteousness and it is Christ that applies this righteousness by his Spirit I say the Application of this life of righteousness is from Christ it is he that reveals this righteousness it is he that discovers it to the soul it is Christ by his eternal Spirit that causeth the soul to know this life and righteousness which is given to it now as Christ doth discover this righteousness so he causeth the soul to close with this righteousness it is he by his Spirit that overcomes the heart to rest upon this righteousness and to look upon this righteousness as its life for there is a principle in the creature to seek after life in it self man would seek righteousness in himself and it is a hard matter to bring the soul off of this rotten sandy foundation Christ only by his eternal Spirit when he hath revealed this righteousness perswades the soul to rest upon it and to look upon him as its life 2. Secondly Again As the life of righteousness is from Christ so the life of holiness is from Christ all those gracious dispositions and all those holy actings that do at any time shine forth in the hearts and lives of Gods people they have no other foundation but Christ the holiness of Christ From his fulness have all we received grace for grace if there be the life of any grace in the soul it is from Jesus Christ from the fulness of Christ there is no man lives the life of holiness till Christ becomes a principle of life to him there is no breathings in the heart after Christ there is no holy motion in pursuit after Christ till Christ first breaths upon the soul The hour is come and now is that they that are in their Graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear it shall live There is no man lives the life of holiness until such time as he hears the voice of the Son of God there may be Carkasses of grace out-sides of grace and there may be Carkasses of duties and performances but no living graces there are no living performances until such time as Christ be a principle of life unto the soul the beginning of the life of holiness and so the encrease of the life of holiness is from Christ I came that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly Christ decreed that you might have life and that you might have abundance of life that you might be filled with the Spirit of Christ that you might have abundance of the life of Christ that his people might be ready in his strength to every good word and work this was the end of Christs coming that they might have life more abundantly he is the life of holiness But again 3. Thirdly Christ is the Life of Consolation unto his people He is the life of all their comforts and the comforts that Christ gives they are living comforts my peace I give unto you not as the world gives give I unto you for no man shall take away your peace the world shall not take it away my Spirit shall be an everlasting living principle of consolation in you which shall not be taken away Christ is the life of all a Christians comforts he is the life of friends the life of all refreshments that a Christian hath and they are all dead to him when Christ doth not shine through them he is the life of comforts and the life of Ordinances there is no life there is no refreshment if Christ be not in them if the soul meets not with Christ in Ordinances they are but dead Ordinances truly Christ is the life of all He is also 4. Fourthly The Life of Glory Christ is the life of glory to his people It is he that hath purchased glory for them by his blood it is he that hath made the way plain it is he that hath made a new way to glory when the old way was shut you read in Heb. 10. 19 20. Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh A new and living way to God a new and living way to the
and lastly to say no more This desire of death must be with an indifferency to the Will of God though it be for never such good ends though a man desires death for lifes sake though he desire death that he may sin no more that he may be with Christ that he may lift up the name of God fully in Heaven yet if it be not with an indifferency to the Will of God it is not a holy and lawful desire and therefore the Apostle in the Text refers himself to the Will of God I am in a strait I know not what to do it is best for me to die I am in a strait I will not determine though I shall be deprived of my gain and be a loserby it yet it is no great matter if God may gain any thing by my life if his Church may gain any thing if any poor soul may gain any thing if God hath any further work for me I am content to live I know not what to choose saies he but I refer my self to God this makes the desires of death lawful When a man hath considered all and yet notwithstanding he knows death shall be gain to him yet he refers himself still to the Will of God If thou hast any service which may be for the good of thy people and for the advancement of thy name if thou hast any message though it is hard to keep from home if the Lord will have me do any service for him why I am willing When the desires of death are thus referred to the Will of God submitting to his Will whether by life or death thus are the desires of death holy and lawful Thus have I shown you when desires of death are sinful and when lawful The Application of the Point is yet behind SERMON VIII PHILIP 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain THE Subject in hand is Gain and therefore I hope you that are wise Merchants will not be weary of it the whole World is for gain every man saies Who will shew us any good I have shewed you a great deal of gain that is by death for those that have interest in Christ and O that the Lord would make your hearts desirous to know how you shall get this gain how you may so live as that the great venture you make of death may be gain unto you But I shall prosecute that in its time You may remember the last day we spent most of the time in Answering a Question Whether it be lawful to desire death or no I told you there is a good desire and there is a sinful desire of death and I shewed you the differences But I shall wave repetition and come to the Application of the Point Vse 1. It lets us see what a fancy or conceit that is that men have taken up That the soul hath no existence without the body but that it ceases to be whenas the body is laid in the dust there is such a conceit that the soul sleeps or that it ceases to be until the day of Resurrection that God should give life again to the body This Text doth confute that opinion though it may be matter of temptation even to Gods own people if it were so then it should not be gain to die if the soul cease to be when separated from the body it should not be gain to die I might bring many places to confute this what think you of that in Luk. 23. 43. where Christ saies unto the good Thief This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise surely Christ speaks not of the body it could not be understood of the Grave that his body should rest in for to be with Christ in Paradise implies more Paradise was a place of pleasure it was a place in which Adam did enjoy the presence of God therefore certainly the soul hath existence when separated from the body the souls of the righteous are where they do enjoy the presence of God Again that in Rev. 6. 9 10. where it is said of them that are under the Altar they cryed out How long Lord holy and true will it be e're thou avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Then the soul hath existence when it is out of the body for these souls cryed How long Lord It is true there are divers operations of the soul which do cease which do depend upon the operation of the body but there are many operations in the soul which the soul doth most excellently exercise notwithstanding its separation from the body the Apostle Paul was in a holy ecstasie as out of the body and when he was in the body it 's said His soul saw such things as were unutterable not to be seen nor heard But I shall not need to go any further to strengthen you against this temptation the Apostle in this Chapter saith I am in a strait between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Where you may see first That the soul when it is separated from the body it doth not cease to be for it is only departed I desire to depart an active expression some Translate it to flinch or move to remove from one house to another or to be loosed or dissolved so some Translate it I desire to be set free from this my prison my soul is in prison while I am in the body now I desire to depart from this house to be fetch'd from this house to depart from this Prison and to be with Christ to depart and to be with Christ so then there is a being with Christ in a state of dissolution for the Apostle doth desire to be dissolved for this very end that when he was dissolved he might be with Christ there is a being with Christ there is an enjoyment of Christ in a state of dissolution Nay he saith It is far better he knew that he should enjoy more of Christ when he was gone he should have more intimate communion with the Lord Jesus in a state of separation than when he was in the body that condition was far better now I say if the soul do sleep if it ceases to be or to act or to enjoy Christ when it is separated from the body till the day of Resurrection why then he could not have said it is far better to die and to be with Christ But it may be said it is better to die because death frees from the miseries of life and so the Apostle might say It is better to die because death frees from the miseries of life because there is a rest and a cessation from the present troubles and turmoils in the world If there had been nothing else he could not have said It is better to die for I say to live to live the most afflicted life and the most troublesom life in the world is better than to die and to cease to be if there
the Lord with them who hath more right to them than you and hath more bowels towards them and more power to do them good infinitely more than you Why you are willing to part with your friends for their safety if dangers are coming you are content that your friends should be hidden in places of safety and shall you mourn if the Lord shall take your friends to hide them for if God do take away the righteous it is but to hide them he will hide them from the evils to come he will take them and hold them in the Grave that they shall not see the evil that is coming he will hide them till all calamities be past and gone and they shall then come again in the time of the Resurrection If you love me saies Christ you would rejoice because I say I go to the Father Do you love your friends and will you mourn inordinately because they go to their Father when they go to lie in the bosom of their Father But you will say Did not Christ weep when Lazarus was dead Christ wept and mourned It is lawful to mourn I told you before and how far you may mourn But it is conceived our Lord did no mourn nor weep so much because Lazarus was de at as because Lazarus was to live again our friend Lazarus sleepeth Christ did not weep because of that Christ knew what he intended to do that Lazarus should be raised again therefore he did not weep for the loss of Lazarus but rather he wept that Lazarus was coming into a troublesome World for he knew that his friend Lazarus should be a loser by it though Lazarus was content that Christ might be glorified to come again even as Christ was content to leave the glory of Heaven to do his Father service Christ knew Lazarus should be a loser and therefore he was very loth to awake him to stir him his friend was now lain down to sleep and shall he awake him before the morning Therefore was it that Christ wept Still I say retain this as a ground of Consolation in the parting with your friends when ever you have hopes in their death know that it is a time of their advancement and therefore whilst you have your friends do all the good to them you can and get all the good from them you can so that that neglect of yours may not be a burden to you and be a gaul to you in the loss of friends but when God shall call for them when you have hopes in their death do not grieve inordinately but know and rest in this and rejoice in it that it is their gain and their greatest advantage So much for the second Use Vse 3. Let this stir up every one to be inquisitive how death shall be made gain to them I say let every one seek after this it is a point of as great concernment as you have met with and therefore you should spend many thoughts upon it how shall you know and how shall you get assurance of this That when death comes it shall be gain unto you Let me stir you up to seek after this to get the knowledge and assurance of it Why Consider 1. First of all That you cannot withstand the stroke of death you had need make hast in this work I say you cannot out-stand the stroke of death when it comes the stroke is unavoidable Poor man he is crush'd before the very Moth there is a decree and an appointment of God concerning it and therefore it cannot be withstood O how little do men exercise themselves in the thoughts of this That man doth not only die because he is made of dust and so must return to dust all creatures must be dissolved into their principle but he dies by his Statute Law he dies by the decree and appointment of God which was inflicted by way of punishment and this still makes it more certain In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death which was appointed for all men once to die there is no man can redeem his soul from going down to the Grave what man is it that lives and shall not see death It is every one of your conditions every fool that is here and therefore what need of looking out to get assurance that death shall be gain 2. Secondly Nay let me tell you further that you may make the more hast in this work This time is like to be a time of great Mortality Judgements will sweep away many Plagues shall be poured out upon the World till the World be reconciled to God and his Truth and now in this latter time there shall be greater opposition than ever and so greater Plagues than ever now that Christ is making way for his Kingdom he will bear down thousands before him Look to your selves you had need get assurance that death shall be gain If his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him blessed are they that know death is gain I tell you Christ shall go forth in a great deal of wrath now to smite and bring down his enemies to make his way to his Kingdom and certainly the appearances of Jesus Christ shall be exceeding glorious and terrible to the World in Rev. 6. 16 17. see how terrible Christs coming shall be which certainly is at hand even the Kings and Counsellours and the great men in the World shall cry when the appearances of the wrath of God do come even amongst the Saints what flinching shall there be of great men to be hid from the wrath of the Lamb Still this calls upon us to get assurance that death shall be gain Nay let me tell you that many of Gods own people may be born down in the brunt for Anti-Christ will cost something in his fall as he cost a great deal in his rise so he falls by violence and by the sword and it is possible his fall may crush many of Gods own people Nay let me propound this to your Consideration That it is the greatest adventure that ever soul can make this of death and let that be another spur to you where death shall be gain you do not venture your Estate but you venture your souls and a greater venture cannot be made it is the venture of the soul and it is a venture made for Eternity that that can be but once done had need be well done It is appointed for all men once to die and but once they cannot die it over again they had need learn to die well when death comes that you that are Believers may trust God in the venture you may shut your eyes and follow God as Abraham did when as God led him forth from his Kindred from his Fathers house he follows God no man knows whither and so must you do when death comes shut your eyes and believe and venture and follow God whither he will lead you though from your Kindred and